Hong Kong Sevens is still the best – retired New Zealand legend Gordon Tietjens pays tribute to ‘special tournament’
The pioneer trainer first came to Hong Kong in 1983 as a player but became part of world sevens folklore thanks to his success as a coach
Legendary New Zealand coach Gordon Tietjens said the Hong Kong Sevens remains the best tournament in the world and will continue to lead the way, paying tribute to the event that helped him take sevens rugby to a new level.
The 60-year-old Tietjens announced his retirement from the New Zealand sevens set-up after 22 years at the helm, leaving on a disappointing note as the All Blacks were beaten in the quarter-finals of the Rio Olympics last month.
And the former Bay of Plenty coach says the Hong Kong Sevens provided him with some of his greatest rugby memories – good and bad – and that organisers should stick with their winning formula, which is the envy of other sevens tournaments around the world.
“The way it is right now, you wouldn’t want to change it,” said Tietjens. “With the 16-team format, I think it’s fantastic. You don’t see blowout scores like you used to.
“You still have major teams playing lesser teams but the smaller ones are getting stronger. By playing in Hong Kong, you are having that exposure to top-level rugby.
